Road Trip with Savannah and Random Stuff!

Road trip! This past weekend we headed to Chattanooga to take Miss Savannah to the Aquarium as a birthday present for her mommy! Libby and Led could party on and so could we! Libby gave us Marriott points for a room, so we spent the night. The Aquarium was incredible with two separate buildings...one for the Ocean and one for the River. Savannah had been there before but it was all new to us...it is fabulous. Savannah loved the penguins but wanted granddad to hold her when the sharks swam by! I think it's watching Nemo too much. She knows the sharks are not always your friend. We didn't realize that there were two separate buildings on the same ticket, so after finishing the ocean side, we came out and went to lunch at Friday's. Striking up a conversation with a family in the next booth, they asked us which we liked better. Pulling out our tickets, we realized after a leisurely lunch and a bit of a rest, we could go back and do the other side! After a nap back at the hotel, we went for a swim and then had dinner via the Marriott Bistro in our room! Savannah can float on her back...now we have to get the floaties off!

On Sunday, we took her to the Children's Discovery Museum. It is wonderful and we only did the first floor. The climbing area is better than our Children's Museum in Nashville as it was geared to a smaller size kiddo. Granddad had to carry her out kicking and screaming to head to other areas...she calmed down quickly when she realized we weren't leaving, just moving to a different fun thing. Chattanooga is the perfect distance for a trip as it's only about 100 miles from Murfreesboro where we picked up the kiddo.

Our tips for road trips with grandkids is go somewhere close, take lots of snacks for the car and room including breakfast foods so you don't have to rush out to eat, take a portable DVD player, pick fun things to do and don't rush! Kids really enjoy some experiences and may run through others as boring. The more interactive the better. Let them set the pace. In our case, the butterfly exhibit was not exciting but she loved touching the rays and sturgeon. Take plenty of hand sanitizer!

Last weekend, Woody and I headed to Louisville for the Change of Command Ceremony for our neighbor Tom. He is moving from the Naval Reserve Center Command to become Flag Secretary for the VAdmiral of the Navy Reserve! It was tons of fun and quite impressive. And you know I always find a casino, so after the ceremony we headed to Elizabeth, IN to Horseshoe Casino...a Harrah's property which meant a free room for two nights, the Paula Deen Buffet and SLOTS! I actually won for the second time this summer.  I've said it before, but if you like to gamble, stay with one company and you can earn free rooms and other comps...just be sure you set a limit ahead of time!

This summer has been different in that we have taken lots of trips We did a week in Florida with Savannah and her parental units, a week in NC with Riley and Will along with a stop in Cherokee, NC, a trip to Paducah for the quilt museum and Metropolis for the casino, a trip to Louisville and Elizabeth, IN, and a trip to Chattanooga with Savannah...one more trip over Labor Day to Woody's family reunion and then home for a while. Whew! So one more tip...yes, two for one today...plan short trips around your home base! We have had a ball, haven't spent that much money, and still had a great time. We now are getting the RV squared away to head to Florida for two different months! That way we won't be gone too long from Savannah and still have our fun time in Florida.

Safe travels!